Can a 50-Year-Old Woman Qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Long Track Ice Speedskating?

Submitted by roadskater on Thu Apr 19 2012 6:00am

It's a tough combination of teaching rink ice sessions, boardwalk running along the beaches of Long Island, NY, inline skating on multiuse pathways, and all the rigors of training (which is at least fun work), but not much time of 400m world class arenas. Many would like to have such a tough life of skating focus. But after early promise and years of challenges, a former bulemic ice figure skater who qualified for trials in 1984 believes she may have it all coming together after just two years on ice speed skates.

She may find the 15 seconds of speed to get her 15 minutes of fame to make it into the 2014 Winter Olympics. Even if she doesn't, the pursuit of that dream will keep her life skateyfied and that has to be supersweet, indeed.

This is a pretty interesting piece actually, of better quality than most on this particular network I think. I liked the idea of a plexiglass slide board. Fun and great training for form and fitness. It looks like Jacki Munzel has some promise, at least among those above 30...

In March, she competed in the 21st Masters International Allround Games in Germany, placing first in her age group (40-49) in all four races and first overall in two races (30 and over), all on a recently torn tendon in her left knee and with only two years of speed skating experience.

But how can she compete with the young? It'll be interesting to see. Keep an eye out for Jacki Munzel, because she's been through enough adversity and obviously has natural talent and training discipline. Perhaps she'll get to spend some time training in Utah or at Lake Placid.

I would guess she'd be in the longest distances? Hmm. Interesting. I would think injury and recovery might be the obstacles.

Long Beach Speed Skater Races Against the ClocksPatch.comBy Joseph Kellard But the speed skater from Long Beach faces roadblocks: her age and, unlike her dominant Dutch counterparts, the inability to train regularly at a regulation-sized oval. “I'm skating against people that are skating six days a week and ...